• Published 10th Nov 2019
  • 5,186 Views, 843 Comments

Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic - onekface



A new enemy threatens Sunset's new home. It craves magic and it craves all who has it. She and her friends must rise to face it. But they can't do it alone. Flash x Mane 7

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Author's Note:

I'm back baby! :rainbowwild:

Well... back to my old apartment in the city anyway. Got all my stuff back to where they were, did some light renovations and now I'm back to my old boring job. Still writing, still reading and still loving these adorable ponies.

Stay safe wherever you are, and stay healthy. Chow for now!

Chapter 44: Home

(Flash’s house)

“I can’t believe your dad actually called in the whole police force!” Twilight’s voice boomed over the phone in a cacophony of laughs and disbelief. And honestly, Flash couldn’t blame her for that kind of reaction.

For a moment there he thought that he was being placed under arrest or something. But later they discovered that his old man had called up a favor from the police commissioner putting out a city-wide search for him. Apparently his disappearance was taken far more serious than it deemed necessary.

“Tell me about it.” He trailed his hand down his face rubbing the embarrassment off his cheeks. “I don’t think I’ve been that scared before.”

“You were with us when we fought the giant snake monster.”

“Yeah… but he was mostly fighting you girls. These guys were looking for me. Literally just me. I thought I was in trouble. It was terrifying.”

“You think that was terrifying? You should’ve seen my parents when they saw our whole neighborhood surrounded by police. Shining Armor was practically having a fit.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t the one who got put in a police cruiser.”

“It wasn’t THAT bad.”

“Really? You try having police take you in for questioning. I thought I was being arrested. It was horrible!” It really was. At first he thought that having heavily armed men and women watching your every move was really cool, but after the glamor was done he just found them frightening to be with. He heard Twilight chuckling on the other line, clearly amused after the whole fiasco was done. “I still can’t believe my dad is actually friends with Commissioner Wind Rider. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore considering he’s going to be the new Mayor.”

“How did they find you in the first place?”

“Apparently the police tried tracing my phone.” The boy explained with a soft sigh. “It must’ve activated again when we came through the portal.”

“So what did you do?” She paused. A hint of dread filling in her tone. “You didn’t tell them about…”

“About the whole magic thing? No way.” He answered like it was the most obvious thing to do. “Like anyone would believe that. I just left it out. I told them that I was in Castle Hoofbeard when it collapsed and I was unconscious. You were there spending your vacation and you just happened to find me on the beach.”

It was a far more believable story without magic thrown into the mix. Not to mention it explained how he got his injuries too. And seeing that the castle collapse was on the news, it made some sense. The police didn’t really seem to mind it. They were content knowing that he was alive and so was his dad.

“Wait… does that make me your savior? That’s pretty cool.”

He laughed. “Yup. That would mean I… owe you my life.” A snicker could be heard on the other line. “Anyway. My dad placed me under house arrest until my leg gets better. He wanted to get me a wheelchair and planned to turn the whole house upside down to accommodate me, but I was able to talk him down to a walking stick.”

“Really? Didn’t he take you to a hospital?”

“Nope. He actually brought in a private doctor just for me. I didn’t even know we had one of those until today.” He paused. “As a matter of fact… I don’t remember ever going to the hospital before.”

“Another perk for being rich?”

“Eh… if you could call it that. But I did get a cool cast around my feet. Oh and you might wanna brace yourself. My dad is thinking of rewarding you for ‘Saving’ my life.”

“I’ll be sure to act all modest.” The girl let out an adorable laugh as a doorbell sound could be heard. “That must be Sunset and the others. I should go. But I’ll… call you again tomorrow?”

“Looking forward to it.” And with that last goodbye, the line went dead.

Flash later returned to his bed, feeling the soft and smooth beddings on his skin. It was a welcome change to the haystack back in the ranch. Even that quick shower earlier cleansed his body of three days’ worth of sand and filth. And the food… the FOOD! A feast was prepared for him upon his return and it was divine. He made a mental note to tell his old man to give the chefs a good raise.

*Woof!*

Bananas hopped on his chest giving his master a good lick on the cheek.

“Aww… I missed you too buddy. Sorry for disappearing on you like that. But it was the spur of the moment.” He gave the little mutt a belly rub which it laid on its back, letting out a pleasing whine. “You won’t believe what I went through. First ponies, then portals and pirates?” It gave out a whimper. “I know that following those girls can be dangerous. It’s been a crazy school life, but it certainly isn’t boring, I’ll tell you that.”

*Woof!*

“Alright fine. I guess you deserve three days’ worth of belly rub you little spoiled mutt.” A knock on his door interrupted his petting. “Come in.”

It was his butler who appeared. “Master Flash. Your father requests your presence in his studies.”

Ah… it’s probably time for him to face the music. With a begrudging nod he left his bed and brought out his walking stick.

xxxxxxxxxx

Thankfully his dad’s study room wasn’t far from his own. It was right next to the vault where all the Yaztec stuff were kept.

“Huh… that reminds me. I need to ask Twilight about that cup.”

Flash gave the door a gentle knock, a part of him hoping that his old man wouldn’t answer.

“It’s open.” No such luck there. Slowly he turned the knob and enter, finding his old man walking around with his phone, busily talking with someone on the other line. “Yes. I’ve handled everything. Thank you Luna. Please send my regards to Lesty.”

Lesty? Was that some kind of nickname?

“Flash!” The boy tensed up to the call of his name. His father approached him with heavy panicked steps. He expected a scolding like that time he used up his account to hire a construction company to fix Applejack’s barn. But instead his old man moved in and pulled him to a tight and awkward hug.

“Uh… dad?”

“Oh thank the heavens you’re alright.” He quickly pulled away and began his inspection. The man poked the boy’s head, flashed a light on his eye and even got him to say ah. “Are you ok son? How are you feeling? Do you feel nauseous? Any aches? Pains or discomfort?”

“I’m fine dad. Really.”

“Are you sure?” The man pulled out a stethoscope and placed it over the boy’s chest. Why does he have one of those in the first place? “Hmm… regular heartbeats. A little fast. Could be because of your diet. I’ll have Edmund make some adjustment to your meal.”

“The doctor gave me a clean bill of health dad. You can stop panicking. And… personal space, please.”

He retracted his arms and coughed lowly in his hand. “Sorry son. It’s just that… I was extremely worried when Edmund told me that you didn’t show up at home. You shouldn’t go exploring on your own like that. Especially in dark damp castles. What were you even doing in that place anyway?”

“I uh… wanted to see the castle myself.” That made sense, right? “I figured it’ll be nice to see our property. Besides, I kinda wanted to see how it feels to be an archeologist. I mean… you’ve been doing it for a while. And if you can do it, how hard can it be?”

“That’s nice of you to say, son. And I admire that you’re taking after me. But in all my expeditions, I normally have a small army of personnel by my side. You can’t just go delving into unstable ruins without some manner of preparations. This isn’t like your movies or videogames. You’re lucky you suffered just a minor injury. A collapse like that would’ve been dangerous.”

“Yeah… lucky.”

“Which is why I’m implementing a new security detail on you.”

Flash gawked. “Wait… what?”

“Seeing as I will be officially running for mayor next week, and you being as you are right now. I think it’s the perfect time for you to have someone help you. I thought maybe you’d feel safer having someone watch over you just in case you run into another situation like the one in Freefall Island.”

“You mean like… a helper?”

“A bodyguard.” The long haired man corrected. “Several of them in fact.”

Several!? Flash shivered at the thought of having just one. He dreaded the day when his old man would consider such a thing. Heck, he could already imagine himself walking around with hulking musclemen following his every step like his own shadow. That was going to make school and every other social event from then on… very awkward from there on.

“I have a number of trusted friends in both Private Security firms and other specialist company.” Sombra produced a folder from his jacket, placing it on the table with the photo of several scary looking faces looking back at him.

“How about… no?”

“No?”

“I don’t think I really need a private security around me.”

“Your recent accident begs me to disagree, son. Besides, this is for your safety. And your safety is my greatest concern. And you can’t count on your friends to be there all the time to save you from unexpected collapse.”

He had a point but Flash wasn’t keen on the idea of having a hulking tank shadowing his every move. “Look. I know I messed up back there. I shouldn’t have gone in on my own. And I promise it won’t happen again. Besides… my days exploring is behind me until I get this off.” He gestured to his cast. “Can you reconsider this, for me? At least until it’s absolutely necessary.”

Sombra gave him a neutral look. He cast a glance over to the folder on the table once more before looking back at his son. A number of scenarios played in his head before he finally made his decision.

“Very well.”

Flash blinked. “Really?”

“I understand that such a change can be… difficult and unwelcoming to you. And seeing as you won’t be going around doing anything remotely dangerous with that leg… I’m inclined to rescind this order.” He slowly returned to his desk, putting the folder in the cupboard. “But if you decide to go against my wishes and put yourself in a peculiar perilous position again, I will assign a bodyguard to hawk over you whether you like it or not. Agreed?”

Not much of a choice there. “Absolutely.”

“Good.” Sombra’s expression softened. “Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move on to more pleasant discussions.” He pulled out a small box from his jacket next, placing it on the table. “I got you a little something while you were away.” The boy sat down and opened it revealing a slick looking phone inside.

“It’s… a phone.”

“Yes. I’ve been assured that this was the latest model in the market. And considering your old one close to its um… last leg, I thought the timing was rather convenient.” Flash looked to his old phone which was full of cracks and sand and compared it to the one in front of him. “Happy Winter Holiday, son.”

“Wow dad… thanks.” He scratched his head shyly in reply. “I wish I got you something to. It’s kind of hard to get you a gift.”

“Just having you around is gift enough, son. Don’t worry about it.” Sombra let out a chuckle before noting something. “Speaking of which… where’s your mother’s pin? The one I gave to you.”

Flash buckled at the thought. “Oh! Th… that little thing? It’s umm…” He looked around. “I don’t know. It… must’ve fallen off when I was in the castle. Sorry dad.”

“Oh… that’s… a shame.” There was a jarring expression on his father’s face. He looked… pained. But it only lasted for a moment before he lightened back. “Well it’s a trivial matter compared to you. Run along now and get some rest. We can speak more tomorrow.”

(Celestia/Luna’s Apartment)

Luna felt a good weigh of relief fall off her shoulders when she laid her phone to rest. While it came to a rather mediocre conclusion, she had to admit that she was glad that nothing major occurred from Flash’s disappearance. She expected some kind of magical mumbo jumbo or some other demon to be mixed up in all of this but thankfully it didn’t.

From what she gathered on Sombra’s incoherent blabbering and Police reports, Flash was inside Castle Hoofbeard when it collapsed. He was trapped there for a day or two until Twilight Sparkle found him on the beach.

A likely story, which she would’ve believed too had she not know what these girls were up to. She knew them well enough to see some of the lies they spout up. She’ll have to interrogate Sunset Shimmer about the whole thing later but right now she was just relieved to know that the boy was safe and sound.

Luna dreaded and wondered what would’ve happened if he was gone a little longer. Sombra was practically about to call in the army. And that kind of news would undoubtedly affect the school’s reputation. Something her sister wouldn’t want in a million years now that she had built it to what it is now.

And speaking of whom.

“Luna!” Celestia barged through the door panting heavily like she had been running through a marathon. It was a rare sight to see her shriveled like that. She prided herself for being perfect in any situation. But this was probably the exception. Noticing her sister by the table, she rushed to her side, panicked. “I’m so sorry. The meeting with the Board of Education took longer than I expected. I just received the news. Tell me everything. No… wait. I should probably call Sombra and asked him for the details. Or maybe… no. It’s late. He’s probably asleep by now. Never mind. Just give it to me straight. Why aren’t you talking Luna?”

The younger sibling took a casual sip off her coco, savoring the aroma and the sight of her sister’s crazed moment. It’s not every day you get to see her like this.

“Hello to you too, sister.” She said as coolly as she could. “I’m fine by the way. How are you?”

“Luna! This isn’t the time for one of your childish drivel. One of our students is missing!”

“Yes I know.” Luna grabbed the sugar shaker from the table and made a few drops on her cup. “I was the one who sent you the message after all.”

“Right, of course.” Celestia bobbed her head in realization. “But still… how bad is it?”

“I’m afraid it’s not good, sister.” She gave a low deathly tone earning a dreaded look from her elder. “The police found Flash’s car crashed at the edge of Everfree Woods.”

“Crashed!?”

“Yes. It looks like he was on another one of his ‘Lonesome drives’. They think he was meeting with someone but something went awry.”

“Oh no.”

“They found trace that he got out of the crash.”

“Oh thank goodness.”

“But he was badly hurt.”

“Oh no!”

“And they suspect that he was preyed upon by large Timberwolves!”

“Timberwolves!?” Celestia’s face went pale. A single scenario went through her mind and it horrified her. She was about to go on full panic mod if she hadn’t noticed that grin on her sister’s face. “L… Luna!”

“Gotcha.” The moon lady let out a chuckle, setting her cup aside. “Ha! You should’ve seen your face sister. It was hilarious.”

“I… I don’t… what?”

“You can relax. Flash is safe.” Luna added as she watched her sister fall face first on the table. “They found him a few hours ago. He’s back home. Safe and sound.” She gave that last sentence a thought. “Well… as safe as he can be given the circumstances.”

“For goodness sakes Luna. You know I don’t like your pranks.”

“Oh lighten up sister. The situation is resolved and no one got hurt.” Again she pause. “Well… except for Flash. He got a bum leg. But just that.”

Celestia lightened up, before grabbing a bottle of cider from the fridge. “That’s a relief. I’ll have to give Sombra a call later. I’m just so tuckered about my meeting with the Board of Education.”

“What did those bloodsuckers want this time?”

Celestia chuckled at the name. She had to agree that they were indeed vampires in a sense. “Well for starters… we might need to cut back on our school spending.”

“AGAIN!?” Luna groaned. “Why!? I thought we did so well? We even gave that vampire, Neighsay, a whole office all for himself. Did he sell us out?”

“No.” She interrupted. “In fact, Neighsay’s response was quite… neutral, if I’m being completely honest. There’s actually been a development here in Canterlot. The Board have decided to allocate funds for the construction of a new wing to another school here. And with the fire from a few weeks ago, they want to make sure that it’s full-proof.”

“Let me guess… Everton Academy.” The Principal nodded. “Ugh… dang it! That’s the third time this year alone! How much more can they take? At the rate they’re going, they’ll be slashing our budget to an inch of its life.”

“True… but it is an impressive setup.” Celestia shrugged. “They say it’ll be an indoor swimming pool this time.”

Oh great! So those snotty professors and their college kids will literally be swimming in their money. Damn Everton. Getting everything they want just because they’re the finest school in the country, boasting the highest rate of graduates who end up becoming successful individuals. Hmph… she’d like to see those guys deal with crazy magic on a monthly basis.

How much would it cost to have someone burn the place down?

“So much for a glorious New Year.”

“It’s not that bad Luna.”

“Sister… we’re at home. You don’t have to defend them. I know you hate this just as much as I do.”

“Of course I hate it!” Oh wow, that’s a 180 change in attitude. Celestia practically threw her hands up in the air spilling some of her cider. “Do you think I enjoy watching money slip away from my school!? I hate those high riding teachers in Everton. Every time we make a tour there for our students they always sneer at us, thinking like we’re lesser beings. Ooooh… what I wouldn’t give for one moment when I can embarrass that Superintendent of theirs in front of the whole school.”

Luna blinked, somewhat impressed and afraid of what Celestia planned.

“Ooo…kay? As much as I want to see what you have in store for our competitor. Why don’t we discuss our options to compensate for our lack of funds?”

Celestia gave her a pointed look before answering. “Bake sale?”

Yup… we’re doomed.

(Twilight’s house)

Twilight loves her friends very dearly. They were practically her extended family. But like family, they had a habit of being a little… overly protective. And this right now was a perfect example.

“Oh Twilight Twilight. I missed you so so so so much! I thought we’d never see you again.” Pinkie Pie was practically all over the little nerd hugging and rubbing cheeks like she was attached to the hip. “I’m so glad that you weren’t crushed by a million ton of earth, rock and dirt!”

“I wasn’t worried one bit.” Spike tried to act tough but his waggling tail and sniffling nose betrayed his words.

“Yesh Pwinkwee… meeeh too.” Twilight tried to pry herself off, but the girl would simply not budge. “Gwuys? A liffle heflp?”

Applejack laughed before finally deciding to pull the bubblegum gal off. “I gotcha Sugar Cube. But I understand Pinkie’s feeling right now. I’m glad you’re back.”

“We all are, darling.” Rarity added in agreement stealing a hug from their friend. “You must’ve been scared beyond belief. Trapped on the other side of the world?”

“Alone…” Fluttershy shivered.

“In an unknown environment…”

“Without anyway of communicating…”

“And without an extra pair of clothes!? Goodness. That must’ve been quite an ordeal.”

Twilight shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad. That whole incident was actually kind of… productive. I made a whole new stride on our mysterious order and learned a whole new culture to boot. And I wasn’t entirely alone.” A smile crossed her face when a certain blue haired rocker came to mind. “Luckily Flash was there to keep me centered. He was most helpful even without his money. But anyway. Mind giving me the details on what happened while I wasn’t around?”

“Where do we even begin?” It was Sunset who answered with a sigh. “Well… after that whole incident in Castle Hoofbeard, things have been pretty crazy. We found out what Hoity Toity is planning and how he plans to do it.”

“A mass mind control!?” Twilight gasped after hearing the whole incident. “That’s… insane.”

The fashionista agreed on that notion. “Believe me darling. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if Vignette didn’t just tried to attack me and forced me to wear one of her ridiculous leather outfits. There was certainly very little style in her fashion. And it was all very action-packed.”

“Pretty much anyone wearing anything from his store is probably under his spell.” Sunset stated. “And now he’s planning to do it on a city-wide scale.”

Rainbow Dash quickly pulled out a roll of newspaper showing the headline. “After his pageant show, his store will be holding a special sale. 1% off everything.”

“Just one percent? That doesn’t sound like much of a sale.”

Rarity scoffed. “Trust me on this Twilight. It might not sound like much to you. But to the rich and famous, that’s pretty much a grandiose deal of a lifetime. No rich folk in Uptown will be able to resist!”

“Which is fine for Hoity seeing as he’s only aiming to brainwash the rich and powerful.” Sunset finished. “And with all those people under his thumb, he’ll be unstoppable.”

It was a good plan. A clever plan. Even Twilight had to admit that it was also quite sneaky. If Hoity can turn a bunch of fashion designers into his personal servants to expand his operations, she dread what he could do with all that wealth.

“Ok… so what do we do?” The gang looked at one another, enduringly. “Please tell me you guys have a plan on stopping it.”

“We’re… kinda in the planning stage.” Sunset admitted. “But we do know he’s planning something big on his pageant show on that resort in Freefall Island. If anything was going to happen, it’ll be there.”

“I say we’d take the direct approach. We Pony-up and storm his shop. Take him on from there. I don’t give a hoot how important he is. No one drops a castle on me and gets away with it.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I agree with Rainbow Dash.” Applejack took Rainbow’s side much to the surprise of her friends. “I know that he’s famous and all. But knowing what this guy is gonna do makes it all worth it. Storming that place head on like a bull in a china shop is bound to get his attention.”

“But he won’t be alone.” Rarity reminded them. “Remember he has Vignette and the other contestant under his thumb. Along with hundred others who are all under his spell.”

“That’ll be the biggest problem.” Sunset pointed out. “We have no idea how to tell who are hypnotized… or how many there are.”

“All the more reason we should charge in.” Rainbow Dash thrust her fist forward. “Get him where he’d least expect it. Right at his home. We’d take him down and force him to let go of the folks he brainwashed.”

Twilight couldn’t believe it but it would seem like a direct assault was the best plan they had at the moment. And the sad part was that she agreed. If they stormed his shop right now they could probably catch him unaware.

“Let’s not be too hasty.” Again Sunset protested upon the plan. “Remember what happened last time we fought in the city? A whole city block burned down.” Technically that was Flash’s fault but no one was blaming him for it… yet. “We need to strategize. Come up with a plan that’ll not just help us but those who are caught by Hoity.” She turned to Pinkie and Fluttershy who remained strangely quiet till now. “What about you two? You guys were watching him all day. Did you see anything or notice anything in particular?”

The bubbly gal answered first after a brief thought. “Well… now that you mentioned it. Hoity did look a tad bit… strange. Well… stranger than usual.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “He was kind of… nervous? He didn’t exactly look happy. Like… the opposite of happy. Umm… I guess that’s… unhappy.”

“Yeah! Totally! He was fidgeting, looking over his shoulder and even close his office! He was like… super scared of something.”

“He probably knows that we’re out to get him.” Rainbow pumped her fists together, showing a small grin.

“If he did then he certainly did something about it.” The gang turned to their resident party animal. “He beefed up his security like… a lot. We saw big burly guards everywhere. Inside, outside, in-between the inside and out! He even got those fancy security cameras.”

So much for the frontal assault. No doubt the new guards he hired were part of his hypnotized goons. If they’re there, they’ll fight for Hoity with little choice in the matter. And the last thing they need is getting other people hurt.

“If only there was a way to get rid of all those mind controlled minions.”

Rainbow Dash snapped her finger. “Hey, what about that spell you learned earlier, Sunset? The one that can push away dark magic.”

The former unicorn sighed dishearteningly. “It’s a counter for shadow magic. A banishment spell of sorts. I can probably use it to get rid of whatever it is that’s controlling those people in a wide area.”

“Then that’s our ticket!”

“But…” Of course there’s a but. There’s always a but. “It takes up a lot of magic. And I’m not proficient enough to use it continuously.”

“What about that doohickey thing you used earlier?” Applejack reminded. “That necklace thing. When you put that thing on, you practically had enough power to teleport all of us out that castle.”

“That item has a… few flaws to work over. Let’s just say we’ll only use it for emergencies. We need another way to remove that shadow monster’s influence.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Rainbow Dash stomped her feet impatiently. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing. The pageant is in a few days. And if leave that guy be he’ll have the whole city eating from the palm of his hand.”

“We’re gonna do something about it. That’s why we’re all here.”

“Guys. GUYS!” Twilight shouted, silencing the gang before they resort to bickering. “Before we start arguing. We can all agree that Hoity needs to be stopped. But if we’re really going to fight him again, we need to be prepared. And it’s going to take more than the seven of us to take him down.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry Spike.” She chuckled. “Eight of us.”

Sunset gave her best friend a curious but intriguing look. “I take it you have a plan?”

Twilight smirked, turning to her phone. “I need to make a few calls.”

(Midtown Apartment)

It was a quiet night in the Sirens’ apartment.

Well… about as quiet as Adagio would like considering that she was living with the two biggest idiots in the world. Sonata was watching cartoons, for god knows why. It was just a bunch of colorful characters being caught in absolutely ridiculous scenarios. Nonetheless, if it was keeping her busy, she wasn’t going to complain. So long as the volume was down.

Aria on the other hand was filling out another one of those quizzes on those silly teen magazines. Apparently it’s a bunch of questions to find out whether you’re compatible with a certain celebrity or not. And she wasn’t even taking it seriously. She just changes the answers when she doesn’t get the result she wanted.

All in all, it was just another boring day.

Until… her phone buzzed.

She looked at the screen not recognizing the number. The only number she had were those of her sisters, the apartment manager, and rarely… work related acquaintances.

Ugh… if it was another one of those ad-calls with those monotone voice recorders, she was gonna blow something up.

With some reluctance, she answered. “Yes?”

“Adagio? It’s me.”

The mood in the apartment changed almost abruptly as Adagio’s expression. Her sisters felt the change and immediately turned her way, curious. Very few things in this world could get a reaction out of her.

“Lover Boy~~.” She cooed seductively to the phone, leaning back on her chair and putting one leg up on the table. “This is a welcome surprise. I haven’t heard from you for a while. You never write, you never call. I’m beginning to think you might’ve forgotten about me.” She could hear the boy on the other line chuckle softly, imagining his flustered expression.

“There’s no way anyone would forget you, Adagio.”

“Good answer. But I take it this isn’t a social ca…”

“I’m actually calling in one of that ‘favors’ you owe me.” He interjected which made the Siren blink.

With an authoritative motion she snapped her fingers signaling her sisters to quiet down. Sonata turned off the TV and Aria put her pencil down.

An evil grin showed itself on her face as she leaned closer to her phone.

“What can I… do for you?”

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